Agenda item

The Committee heard from the Homes and Health Team Manager, who explained that the purpose of the report was to consider the allocation of asylum dispersal funding currently held by the Council, totalling over £185,000. Committee Members were provided with an overview of the funding’s purpose, and the current asylum position in West Lindsey. It was explained that the funding had initially been described as un-ringfenced, with the intention that it be used to mitigate new burdens on frontline Council services, particularly homelessness and housing. For this reason, the reserve had been held within the relevant service area.

Members of the Committee were informed that a modest increase had been observed in the number of individuals presenting as homeless following receipt of their asylum decisions. Consequently, it was proposed that the majority of the funding be allocated to homelessness support, in order to safeguard frontline services and prevent overstretching of existing budgets. Attention was also drawn to the lack of structured support for community integration of asylum seekers and refugees, which had thus far been addressed informally by voluntary and community sector (VCS) groups. The Manager proposed that a portion of the funding be made available through the Council’s community grants mechanism, enabling collaboration with the VCS to deliver support services that promote community cohesion and assist individuals transitioning from asylum accommodation.

It was noted that the Prosperous Communities Committee had already approved the use of the community grant funding process for the distribution of this funding at its meeting held on 15 July 2025. Therefore, the paper presented to the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee sought formal approval for the allocation of £125,295 from the asylum dispersal reserve to homelessness functions, as detailed in the report, and for the remaining £60,000 to be used for community activities supporting asylum seekers and refugees within the district.

The Chairman thanked the Manager for the introduction and invited questions and comments from the Committee.

A Committee Member enquired about the management of language barriers for asylum seekers approaching the Council for housing. In response, it was confirmed by the Manager that the Council currently utilised LanguageLine services and was exploring additional software solutions to improve communication. It was acknowledged that while asylum seekers represented a small proportion of those requiring language support, improvements could be made to better serve all customers.

Concerns were expressed by a Member of the Committee regarding the broader issue of English language provision in the district. It was noted that the Gainsborough Multicultural Group had identified a significant gap in structured ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) services. Existing provision was described as informal and insufficient to meet demand. In response, the Manager confirmed that discussions had taken place with the multicultural group regarding the potential use of funding for ESOL provision. It was acknowledged that this area had not previously been considered from a skills perspective, but it was agreed that further exploration with skills providers could be undertaken if deemed a priority by the Council.

The Chairman acknowledged the Committee Member’s point and referred to a recent report presented to the Prosperous Communities Committee. The report had been considered helpful in outlining how the skills and contacts available to the Communities Team could potentially be utilised to improve accessibility and advance service delivery. In response, a Member of the Committee reminded Councillors that detailed decisions regarding expenditure would be undertaken by the Prosperous Communities Committee.

With no further comments or questions, and having been proposed and seconded, it was unanimously

RESOLVED that

a)    the allocation of £125,295 from the Asylum Dispersal Grant to the Homelessness functions as detailed in table 1 for the financial years 2025/2026 and 2026/2027, be approved; and

b)    the allocation of the remaining Asylum Dispersal Grant funding £60,055 to be utilised for community activity supporting asylum seekers and refugees, be approved.